My cousin's wedding in Tel Aviv featured the BEST simcha food I have ever enjoyed. It was simple, no fuss, pure deliciousness. The main course featured a choice between 1) melt-in-your-mouth short ribs,...

The New Passover Menu is the newest cookbook written by Paula Shoyer. In this innovative new cookbook, Paula does an excellent, and I must say delicious, job of creating new recipes that work in the confines...

The New Passover Menu is the newest cookbook written by Paula Shoyer. In this innovative new cookbook, Paula does an excellent, and I must say delicious, job of creating new recipes that work in the confines...

Kosher News

Two Terrific Tuna Casserole Recipes

A tuna noodle casserole is a perfect dinner for a weeknight when the kids come home from school, cold and “starving.” They get one whiff of that warm, cheesy aroma and they are instantly soothed. In fact, just to guarantee that the kids will gobble it up, serve it with potato chips on the side, or crumble the chips on top. Who can pass up a meal that comes with chips?

And listen, Hubby’s favorite lunch is a tuna sandwich with a side of chips – he could eat that every day. So I say, let him think of this casserole as the dinner version of a tuna sandwich.

The Next Great Kosher Chef

On Sunday in Long Island City the “Next Great Kosher Chef” was crowned. The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts held the final part of their competition in Long Island City. In front of a TV crew, a crowd of reporters and select guests, and three well known judges, three contestants passed over many culinary hurdles in quest of the title of “Next Great Kosher Chef” and the $5,000 scholarship to the CKCA.

The Next Great Kosher Chef Scholarship Contest

The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts (CKCA) is searching for The NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF. The search concludes with its final round on Sunday, December 12th. The three finalists are competing in a filmed competition at the Entrepreneur Space in Long Island City, NY. The prize is a full scholarship to the CKCA Winter 2011 Professional Program in Culinary Arts (Cash value: $5,000). Winning the competition will also grant the winner the title of NEXT GREAT KOSHER CHEF. The two runners up will get gorgeous gift baskets from Kosher.com.

Our very own Jamie Geller is one of the judges at what promises to be an intense competition. The other judges are Elan Kornblum of Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine and Chef Seth Warshaw from ETC Steakhouse in Teaneck NJ.

Join the Frumchat Twitter Party with Jamie Geller

We’re happy to be the host of this week’s #frumchat being held this Sunday, November 21, 2010 from 7:30pm-8:30pm Eastern. For those that have not yet heard of it, #frumchat is a weekly Twitter online gathering where we discuss Orthodox Jewish topics. Last week was the initial chat which was lead by @h2opinklabel and discussed tznius issues for women.

Walking in Memphis

Since a traditional Memphis barbecue usually consists of smoked pork served as a rack of ribs or “pulled” (hand shredded and sauce covered), it is understandable that the city’s 8,000 Jews might try to find a way to bring their five-thousand-year-old tradition of slow cooked meat to the land of the Delta blues. Memphis barbecue is more than a way of cooking, it is a way of life. The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, held during the Memphis in May International Festival, cemented the city’s claim as the Barbecue Capital of the World with more than 250 teams competing over three days for more than $110,000 in prize money. Memphis is best known for its dry barbecue. In the dry process, the ribs are coated with a rub made from a combination of ingredients that can include salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard, cumin, and other spices. They are typically cooked in a smoker until they fall off the bone, soft and tender.

Twenty-one years ago, Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth (ASBEE), an orthodox synagogue that can trace its roots to the Civil War, decided to offer a kosher alternative to the traditional Memphis barbecue contest. It is not without precedent; after all, Passover was the very first barbecue festival.

ASBEE hosts the World Kosher BBQ Championship, which is one of the most anticipated events in the Memphis Jewish community. Last year, the ASBEE Championship had 40 teams and more than 3000 attendees. This year the World Kosher BBQ Championship takes place on Sunday, August 29th. You won’t find any swine tasting at this event, but the intoxicating smell of slow roasted brisket and beef ribs will make a pig out of any hard core carnivore.

World Cup Kosher – Plenty of Kosher Choices...

With the largest Jewish population in Africa, South Africa, host of the 2010 World Cup, has a great variety of kosher food available.

Kosher consumers heading to the 2010 World Cup will have no difficulties finding kosher restaurants and groceries stores. Reporting on the global soccer showdown, Our friend Dani Klein of the YeahThatsKosher travel blog compiled a full list of South Africa’s kosher establishments. This is great news for the U.S. Men’s National team, which boasts three Jewish players—the largest Jewish contingent on a single team in World Cup history.

Living on the Wedge

Growing up kosher, I never really liked cheese. The only cheese we really had around the house was Miller’s Muenster in the blue package, Miller’s Swiss in the green package and some unmemorable mozzarella. I can’t really blame my parents for the lack of exposure to quality cheese, there simply were not that many kosher cheeses available back then. A lot has changed over the past fifteen years. Now you can pretty much find any cheese variety with reliable kosher certification and even try cheeses you never heard of before and can’t pronounce!

L’Chaim! Glenmorangie Scotland’s...

Kosher whisky drinkers can now add two single malt choices to their collections; Glenmorangie Original and Glenmorangie Astar have received kosher certification by the Orthodox Union (OU).

The Glenmorangie Company announced that two Glenmorangie products have received kosher certification from the OU, the world’s leading kosher certification agency. Glenmorangie, recently named “Distillery of the Year” at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, said packaging and promotional materials bearing the OU symbol will be distributed throughout the US beginning in the next few months. According to the OU, Glenmorangie is the first major single malt scotch brand to receive kosher certification.

Celebrate American Jewish Heritage with an...

Barley, one of the seven species mentioned in the bible, takes a star tour in this make-ahead salad perfect for Memorial Day or Shabbat lunch.

On Thursday, May 27, 2010, the White House will host the first ever reception honoring May as American Jewish Heritage Month. We can join the celebration with this fabulous recipe from my friend and colleague, Tina Wasserman. Tina is an award-winning cooking instructor specializing in contemporary kosher cuisine. She is one of only four members of Les Dames d’Escoffier in the United States honored as an expert in Jewish cooking and culinary history. Tina’s book, Entrée to Judaism: A Culinary Exploration of the Jewish Diaspora, is available from the URJ Books and Barnes & Noble.

Masada International – Innovative Israeli...

Israeli food products have grown in sophistication and popularity in the United States. Food distributor Masada International specializes in importing some of Israel’s best and most innovative choices.

Having married into the family as the 4th and final sister-in-law and the ONLY non-Israeli, I had a bit of a complex—I wasn’t born knowing how to make kubeh from scratch—krembos weren’t a dessert staple in Abington, PA.

Obamas to Host First Ever White House Reception...

The White House announced this week that Barack and Michelle Obama will host the first ever White House reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month.

The White House has celebrated May as Jewish American Heritage month since the George Bush administration, but this is the first time that the President and the First Lady will host a White House reception to honor the event. In his proclamation, the President said the United States is a “stronger and more hopeful country because so many Jews from around the world have made America their home.” The reception guest list will include “a range of community leaders and prominent Jewish Americans,” the White House announced, but the menu and other details were not released.

Living on the Wedge: A Brave New World of Kosher...

Growing up kosher, I never really liked cheese. The only cheese we really had around the house was Miller’s Muenster in the blue package, Miller’s Swiss in the green package and some unmemorable mozzarella. I can’t really blame my parents for the lack of exposure to quality cheese, there simply were not that many kosher cheeses available back then. A lot has changed over the past fifteen years. Now you can pretty much find any cheese variety with reliable kosher certification and even try cheeses you never heard of before and can’t pronounce! (more…)

Kosher Cooking for a Cause

Join me for a fun-filled night of culinary delights to benefit the Tomchei Shabbos of Queens on Wednesday, April 28, 2010.

Can you think of a better way to spend an evening than whipping up fabulous kosher dishes for a worthy cause? Me neither! Well, this Wednesday night, April 28, 2010, I’ll be appearing at The Chai Traditions Program’s second installment of their Kosher Cooking Series benefiting the Tomchei Shabbos of Queens.